Soaring Community Consumer Warning

Hi Bob,

He does the same thing when customers list gliders on the
www.glidersource.com web site. Another soaring community volunteer put a
lot of work into the www.glidersource.com web site. It is excellent. The
creator of www.glidersource.com is a glider pilot and trying to make a
valuable resource available. Tim's site is very valuable resource too,
but...

Paul Remde
_______________________

"BobD" wrote in message
...

I like many others understand that the glider community is small, and
perhaps getting smaller. In trying to sell my glider, I placed an ad on Tim
Mara's Wings and Wheels. He states on his website that he offers this for
free to help the community. Or so I thought.

Selling a glider is a difficult task, especially in this economy and to a
niche interest group. As for me, I'm buying a new glider and need funding
from the sale of my present ship. I do all this on a tight budget. So
letting the soaring community know about my offering is a marketing effort
of importance and I know that to be successful, I need to cover the bases.
Not everyone will see an ad in one given location. Coverage is the issue.

I've placed the same advertising offering on SoaringCafe.com's marketplace
page. I used the same information there as I did on Wings and Wheels. I've
also put the same details here on RAS, and I will likely put them on the SSA
paid website marketing pages and anywhere else I feel is appropriate for
seeking buyers. I simply want to sell my glider.

I've been a customer of Tim's and have spent a lot of money with his
enterprise. Which is why I was stunned when he emailed me back saying I
cannot duplicate my ad on SoaringCafe and he would pull mine off Wings and
Wheels if I didn't discontinue the SoaringCafe ad. His message was "I don't
allow it"...period.

Why would someone who should know the value of a customer, and the small
scale of our community, do that? Anyone know why? When I called him he was
indignant and said the policy was in his reply email to me AFTER the ad went
up. Such a policy is not stated ANYWHERE on his website. It makes no sense
since SoaringCafe is not in competition with Wings and Wheels other than
advertising other vendors, who pay for that visibility. SoaringCafe's web
presence it different.

Tim notified me yesterday that the ad was being removed since I hadn't
complied with his demand (24 hours after making it). In calling him to
discuss it, he was indignant with me, refused to listen, and hung up. Nice
going Tim, you just lost a customer who will now exercise his consumer
rights and inform the community of your detrimental decision that undermines
my effort to sell my glider. And yes, I will use the internet bully pulpit
to let the community know of your attitude towards that community. Hats of
to SoaringCafe and goodbye to Wings and Wheels. Honoring and valuing your
customers doesn't seem to be in Tim's business plan. I can't think of a
worse business attitude.

Beware soaring community of those who make it tough on you…like hanging up
on you and not listening. Instead, patronize those who go the extra mile and
work with you.

Bob DeLeon
Glider pilot and owner since 1997